Saturday, September 3, 2011

PARTY TIME: For Michelle Obama

Yesterday I came across a very good article that I want to share some of with you. Some of the things that I read on this page was very shocking knowing how bad our country is in debit.
The Judaical Watch asked and wants to know what taxpayers are spending for Michelle Obama's vacations. It seems like she is going on a vacation alot. "How much did the American people spend to send the First Lady on a family outing in Africa? That's what we want to know," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "On the surface, the trip seems to have been totally unnecessary and was as much an excuse for the Obama family to go on a safari as it was a mission intended to advance the nation's business in Africa."
The organization requested information in June regarding the expenses for the trip. The request included records for the mission taskings for the June 21-27 trip to South Africa and Botswana, the transportation costs and all passenger manifests for the trip. The government had until Aug. 3 to respond, but did not, so Judicial Watch now has followed up with a lawsuit. "The professed purpose of Mrs. Obama's trip was to encourage young people living in South Africa and Botswana to get involved in national affairs," the Judicial Watch report said. "The First Lady's remarks focused on education, health and wellness issues. "However, accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, her mother, Marian Robinson, and her niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, the trip also included such tourist events as visits to historical landmarks and museums as well as a visit with Nelson Mandela," the Judicial Watch report said.
"The trip ended with a private family safari at a South African game reserve before the group returned to Washington on June 27," Judicial Watch said.The organization said that the White House Dossier, a blog by White House reporter Keith Koffer, said the cost to taxpayers for a C-32 aircraft for the trip alone was $430,000. This cost, JW reported, was based on an estimated charge of $12,723 an hour, which is what the Department of Defense charges other federal agencies to use that airplane. If a military cargo plane was included – which is typical for Michelle Obama's trips – the transportation alone could have cost another $200,000.
Additionally, there would be costs for Secret Service protection, the care and feeding of a numerous staff members, pre-trip staff work and others categories. Judicial Watch reported earlier that a "date night" for the Obamas – for a New York dinner and Broadway show – cost taxpayers more than $11,000 in Secret Service expenses alone. The organization said it is investigating such costs "in the face of a ballooning federal debt and a sinking economy."
The announcement about the court case came just a day after The Daily Mail in the United Kingdom touted the 10 million in public money Michelle Obama has spent on her "vacations."
"Branding her 'disgusting' and 'a vacation junkie,' [reports] say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol," the London paper said. The report said Michelle Obama is believed to have taken 42 days of vacation in the last year, including a respite in Spain that cost $375,000 and a $2,000-a-night ski trip to Vail, Colo. all payed for by the tax payer.
The family went on another vacation, at Blue Heron Farm on Martha's Vineyard, where the rental fees are estimated at $50,000 a week. The paper reported the situation was aggravated because the Obamas took separate airplanes to the Massachusetts retreat – even though they traveled the same day.
Also, the report cited figures from a Hawaii Reporter investigation into the Obamas' trip to Hawaii last winter, where the costs were $63,000 to bring Michelle Obama to town ahead of the president, $38,000 for a beach property rental, $134,000 for staff members to stay in a nearby hotel and $251,000 in police overtime.The White House Dossier report explained South African U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau confirmed the African trip was partly personal. "She's coming on this trip to talk about women's development and youth development, and South Africa is a leader in that, not only on the continent but globally," Trudeau said in the report. "A visit to South Africa is important for them as a family. She'll be visiting many struggle-era landmarks, including the Apartheid Museum (and) the Hector Pieterson Memorial."
The amount of tax payers money spent in the last year by this woman is over whelming. This is happening while her husband is calling for higher taxes when the average American can not pay no more. He is burden enough. These are the things we know about. What about the things that are still not exposed?